As part of the 50th NHL All-Star Game in Toronto, NHL Fantasy was a 300,000 square foot interactive hockey playground, which allowed hockey fans to be part of enjoy the 2000 NHL All-Star Celebration. One of the more interesting attractions was the "Interactive Arcade" which featured the latest hockey video games from Konami, EA Sports, FOX Sports and Sega Sports. The event allowed Sega to showcase its upcoming NHL2K for the first time to the public. Sega-Zone was there and was lucky enough to speak with the game's producer Douglas Tronsgard.

The line-ups to play the game were immense all week long. If you compared the game visually to what the competition had to offer, NHL2K blew them away. Early indications show that the gameplay is equally as good as the graphics. However we were unable to explore the game's depth due to the crowds. From what we did play it looks good and runs at 30 frames per second refresh rate. While there are some instances of 60 FPS, the majority of the game is experienced at 30 FPS. Don't let the frame rate discourage you because even at 30 FPS this game moves along at a good pace. All 29 teams are present and so are their home arenas.

Black Box designers took extra special care in re-creating the arenas right down to the tinest of details. The players themselves look good and consist of 1500 polygons each. As in NBA2K, you will find the real players with their faces intact in NHL2K. There are some nifty visual effects that we have been waiting to see in a hockey game for a long time: player reflections on the glass, ice spraying as players stop or turn, animated crowds and coaches, and even spraying water bottles as they are hit off of the net. The sound is the best yet to appear in a hockey video game. NHL2K consists of 16,000 sound files with over 12,000 play-by-play and color commentary. Legendary Canadian broadcasters Bob Cole and Harry Neale were used for the play-by-play and color commentary. Anyone who is familiar with Hockey Night In Canada will easily recognize their talents.

In speaking with Douglas Tronsgard, the game's producer, he was surprised when the Hall of Famer's signed on to do the voices. We also decided to ask some of the crazed hockey fans what they thought of the game. "This is the coolest looking hockey game I have ever played!" shouted one fan. "It plays pretty good but I think the A.I. is not quite up to speed as when I make a line change the players just go off the ice without seeing if it is a good opportunity to get off. NHL 2000 doesn't have this problem. I would give NHL2K 4 out of 5" explained another fan who also told us he was an avid gamer. All in all the game was well received by Fantasy attendees. However the final judgement will be made when the game reaches retail later this week. Check back with Sega Zone for our regular in depth review soon.

ARticle By: Micheal Weatherup

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